February 13, 2018

I need to show you a second quote from Omarosa on "Big Brother": "Don't get me wrong, Obama's administration was aggressive about deportation too... I've seen the plan. The roundup plan is getting more and more aggressive... He's a numbers guy. He wants to outdo his predecessors."

I have an old post about Trump the numbers guy, and this post would be a better post if I could dig it out of the archive. Since I can't, I'll just leave this post in "stub" form.

Numbers measure results. Trump wants results. Politics is the art of slandering opponents with Fake News narratives. But it still measures its results from Persuasion of voters that works by branding and kill shots.

Based on what I read yesterday at least $3T dollars less over the next 10 years than what Congress has in mind. Best to direct that question to Ryan/Pelosi/McConnell/Schumer. They and their colleagues set the budget.

"Don't get me wrong, Obama's administration was aggressive about deportation too... I've seen the plan. The roundup plan is getting more and more aggressive... He's a numbers guy. He wants to outdo his predecessors."

Trump is a business man so naturally he's a numbers guy, a bottom line guy. Trump gets the job done. That part about Obama is politically correct bullshit.

You may be right. The GOP has always played Frugal Daddy on the debt and got nothing but grief for it. Even Wall Street, I think, has trended toward Democratic candidates in recent years. I think Trump noticed there is little political return on that investment.

There has to be a day of reckoning, eventually, but every year it doesn't the budget hawks have a tougher sell.

During January, the Treasury collected approximately $361,038,000,000 in total tax revenues and spent a total of approximately $311,802,000,000 to run a SURPLUS of approximately $49,236,000,000.

Despite the monthly surplus of $49,236,000,000, the federal government is still running a deficit of approximately $175,718,000,000 for the fiscal year 2018. That is because the government entered the month with a deficit of approximately $224,955,000,000.

"The U.S. government had a monthly budget surplus of $49 billion in January, down slightly from the same month last year. For the fiscal year to date, the government’s deficit is $176 billion, up from $159 billion in the year-ago period. What happened: Some of the big drivers of spending in January were for the Department of Homeland Security, and interest on the public debt. Outlays for Homeland Security climbed by $2 billion, or 41% — something the Congressional Budget Office said was largely for disaster relief. "

Just think about how low your taxes could be if the government only spent our money in reasonably intelligent ways with minimal waste. How about just not in stupid ways with half the current waste. Or, maybe just in constitutionally described responsibilities of the federal government. Imagine if the founders laid out the federal budget by percentage. Dream of the huge rebate we would all get at current tax levels. Or, think about how much good stuff could be done if only good stuff was done with all that money. How about one simple change: real means-test all entitlements. I can accept that we disagree about priorities, but how many of us think abled-bodied people, companies and organizations really need supported by hard working citizens.

All fantasy of course, but I would like the federal government with the next census to include a simple questionnaire where we could all fill in what percentage of the budget we want going to the major areas of federal expenditures. That would be more valuable than asking us what race we consider ourseleves to be since race isn't even a real thing.

"Just think about how low your taxes could be if the government only spent our money in reasonably intelligent ways with minimal waste."

Means-testing entitlements would be a biggie. Cutting direct subsidies should be next. Reduce the federal work force by 10% to start. Then, with a little fortitude, limit disaster relief--no more $$ for NO. And then, gasp, really go through the defense budget.

The US Navy is now investigating more than 60 admirals and hundreds of other Navy officers because of their possible involvement in a bribery and fraud case that has become the worst corruption scandal in the service’s history.

As the Washington Post’s Craig Whitlock reports, the admirals caught up in the so-called “Fat Leonard” scandal allegedly attended fancy meals — and post-dinner romps that sometimes included prostitutes and lots of alcohol — throughout Asia, paid for by a defense contractor named Leonard Glenn Francis. Francis is already in jail in San Diego because he pleaded guilty in January 2015 to charges of bribery and fraud; his bribes and fraudulent invoices helped him overcharge the Navy for his services by around $35 million. He’s now cooperating with authorities.

"Get back to me when Trump adds $10 trillion to the national debt, like your hero Obama."

Francisco D., don't make comments based in ignorance. Obama was not my hero. I never voted for him and I deplored him as just another servant of the ruling elites. He is a war criminal no less than his predecessors.

Also,you're missing part of my point with regard to the link I provided: it's what Trump is spending money on. He's proposing cuts to Medicare while proposing increases to our already over-bloated, over-budgeted War Department. We need to slash military expenditures, easily by half,preferably by far more. He's also proposing expenditures for his ridiculous Wall. He's stealing tax dollars from programs that benefit American citizens to spend on programs that are wasteful and destructive of human life.

In short, he's just like most of his peers in Washington and his predecessors in the White House.

Mr Cook, you need to get ahold of a copy the Constitution of the United States of America. Then, check out Article 1, Section 8, and you'll find out why we have the Armed Forces. Spending any money on any type of welfare is not in the Constitution.

"The economy is surging, unemployment's near a 45-year low, wages are up by nearly 3% — and the federal government is enjoying the fruits of all that "Trump Boom" labor. According to the Monthly Treasury Statement released this week, the federal government just raked in more in taxes in the first four months of the fiscal year than any other year, broke the January record for tax collection, and ran a surplus for the first time in months.

In the month of January, which reflects some of the changes from the GOP's $1.5 trillion tax cut bill, the U.S. Department of the Treasury collected just over $361 billion (approx. $361,038,000,000) in total tax revenues, a record for the month of January.

While the feds collected $361 billion, they managed to spend about $49 billion less: $312 billion (approx. $311,802,000,000). That $49 billion surplus helped chip away at the deficit from the previous months of fiscal year 2018, which now stands at almost $176 billion ($175,718,000,000) for this fiscal year."

"Mr Cook, you need to get ahold of a copy the Constitution of the United States of America. Then, check out Article 1, Section 8, and you'll find out why we have the Armed Forces. Spending any money on any type of welfare is not in the Constitution."

Do you mean this part? "The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States...." (I got that off the copy of the Constitution I have on my phone.)

NONE of the wars we've joined or started in the past half-Century, (and few prior to that) have had anything to do with "the common Defense" of the United States. So, we can easily slash our War Department budget by half (or preferably much more), and still have plenty enough to defend ourselves, given how little we've needed to do so in our entire history. We are usually the belligerents. The world can use a break from us.

And, as Congress is charged with providing for the "general Welfare of the United States," Congress, in fact, has the authority to create and fund any programs it deems appropriate to assist Americans in need. By cutting our War Department budget, we can apply the savings to other expenses, to paying down the deficit, and to providing for the medical and other needs of the penurious and elderly.

Or would you rather see your elderly friends and neighbors and relatives struggling with hunger, illness and/or bankruptcy, and avoidable death or debilitation because they haven't sufficient means to obtain affordable medical care or are otherwise wanting?

"Or would you rather see your elderly friends and neighbors and relatives struggling with hunger, illness and/or bankruptcy, and avoidable death or debilitation because they haven't sufficient means to obtain affordable medical care or are otherwise wanting?"

Oh no! You figured us out. That's our plan exactly. Now let's keep it on the down low. We need to make sure they are all dead before any one finds out.

Cook: " So, we can easily slash our War Department budget by half (or preferably much more), and still have plenty enough to defend ourselves, given how little we've needed to do so in our entire history"

LOL

Well, someone had to pay the freight for Europe's wonderful socialism while they neglected defense expenditures.

No western European nation could effectively deploy even a couple of divisions or flotillas for any significant amount of time and maintain combat effectiveness.

But they all have great programs for bringing in masses of muslims who have no intention of assimilating and/or adopting western values.

"Francisco D., don't make comments based in ignorance. Obama was not my hero. I never voted for him and I deplored him as just another servant of the ruling elites. He is a war criminal no less than his predecessors."